Stupid Little Kid

[yakers]

Now here is the interesting thing. Retirement here seems all a numbers/financial thing. Oh, and then there are those with "ideas" or dreams about what they want to do. But I think retirement, for me, is a more psychological thing. Not income, not time, its about "not having" to do anything. It’s all in my head. I remember some years ago working in a civil service position in a Navy/Marine establishment. I was a bit into fit ness. I would cycle into work early and work out a little and I would run miles at lunch. I had short hair; single and I liked travel and adventure. And I remember one Marine NCO in an honest work out moment say to me, "Hey, you’re like one of us, why don’t you join up, you’ll love it’" Well, my response at the time was insightful in retrospect. I answered, because I hate anyone telling me what I have to do.
It’s that stupid little kid in me. Still rebelling. Has your "stupid little kid helped you retire or gotten in the way? Have you been able to get past it? How?

[retire@40]

Originally Posted by yakers

...I answered, because I hate anyone telling me what I have to do.
It’s that stupid little kid in me. Still rebelling. Has your "stupid little kid helped you retire or gotten in the way? Have you been able to get past it? How?

That's a major reason I have to retire early. Not only would I hate having anyone telling what to do or how to do it, unless I asked, but at this point, I even have a hard enough time telling myself what to do. I set up my daily "to do" lists for myself but sometimes I end up doing something totally different.

[dex]

"Has your "stupid little kid helped you retire or gotten in the way? Have you been able to get past it? How?"

My little kid is helping me to RE and happiness. It is when I forgot about him that I was unhappy.

A book with the title "Wishcraft" mentions to find out what makes you happy you should try to remember what you did and what made you happy when you were a child - lets say between the ages of 8 - 17. Begin looking there and you may find a seed of who you are and what will make you happy.

When I was at the earlier end of the range I liked to walk around and explore neighoborhoods around me. I had a bike for a short time and would ride it around the city streets - sometimes for long distances.

When I was at the high end of the range I would take the subway to New York City and walk around there.

Usually I did this by myself because I didn't know of others who did the same.

I think the key is to realize these facets of yourself and accept them. It is a falicy to think you will suddenly change once you RE.

PS
If you notice some of my topics are not the numbers/financial only.
I think one of the major challenges of RE is the phycological.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by yakers

It’s that stupid little kid in me. Still rebelling. Has your "stupid little kid helped you retire or gotten in the way? Have you been able to get past it? How?

Oh, heck yeah. My SLK helped me ER by motivating me to save so that I wouldn't have to put up with that anymore, but my SLK also got in the way by rebelling for little/no reason-- which kept me from playing nicely with the kids bosses.

Over the years you eventually develop some credibility and people stop telling you what to do so much. Or maybe you're no fun to talk with anymore and they stop talking with you completely.

I think in your 30s you begin to realize that it's easier to get things done by motivating people to appeal to their self-interest instead of to your authority. You learn to get along with your bosses just to keep them out of your hair. At that point your SLK is less often provoked.

I grew up in a family where, by parental example osmosis, I learned to be outspoken, smart-mouthed, and to push back when nudged. In today's over-analyzed world we'd probably call it a form of Oppositional-Defiant Disorder. (In their defense I had a reputation just slightly below Dennis the Menace.) You can imagine how that behavior played out in the military. Now I try to treat our kid a little more seriously and to not go crazy over rebellion but it's hard not to react to having your buttons pushed...

[ESRBob]

I always thought of ER as a race against time -- staying in the system long enough to get to the right financial numbers before the SLK inside was completely strangled/drowned/beaten into submission.

So I got lucky, and emerged into ER with the little guy more or less alive -- a little mouth-to-mouth, pump out the lungs, and a year of R&R and he started to be able to walk around and function normally again.

Now that kid is running the show. We're having a really good time. Nobody tells us what to do (except the wife, on occasion)

Yup, I never really minded when someone halfway intelligent told me something to do that made some sense. But when a complete moron told me to do something just to watch me 'jump thru the hoop' - Yup - that is what drove me to retirement 8)

[HFWR]

Yup, I never really minded when someone halfway intelligent told me something to do that made some sense.

Never had that happen...

[lets-retire]

The only time the SLK starts acting up is when I told not to do my job. Since I'm a police officer it really irks me when I'm told not to do it, because some dum sgt hasn't read the book for so long he still thinks it is acceptable to beat- up the bad guys. That's abig reason why I got out of the military and one of the reasons I'm looking ot get out of this job as soon as possible.

Oh and when told not to do my job or violate someone's right I typpically start acting like a SLK (i.e. you tell me not to write a ticket for speeding and I just quit writing all tickets.)

[dory36]

Originally Posted by yakers

Retirement here seems all a numbers/financial thing.

Nah. From my perspective, the numbers/financial thing is just to make sure we won't need to send the SLK back to work.

[Eagle43]

I like that SLK metaphor;think it's spot on. Why? Cause, I've seen lots of morons and been thru lots of hoops! No more, free at last! At least as long as the financials keep the SLK out playing. 8)

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by Cut-Throat

Yup, I never really minded when someone halfway intelligent told me something to do that made some sense. But when a complete moron told me to do something just to watch me 'jump thru the hoop' - Yup - that is what drove me to retirement 8)

Yes, SLK is driving me right out the door to that ER. The boss I got is a .... fill in the blank. I wrote two letters for him he said he rewrote them but he told his boss he wrote them and nothing was changed! He does stuff like that all the time and gets away with it. If it works he gets the credit if it doesn't you screwed it up.

My SLK can't take this any more she's pushing me out the door.

Kitty

[TargaDave]

Almost always self employed for most of my working life. Driven to it by perpetual SLK. The nice thing about never loosing SLK while being self employed is never feeling like you want to just totally quit. Figuring out some crazy scheme to make money is fun, even if it's just a measely amount for a few hours a week. Not much different from managing investments. [I figure someone has to keep representing the other side here]

[MRGALT2U]

Originally Posted by TargaDave

*[I figure someone has to keep representing* the other side here]* *

And you are doing a fine job. I will continue for a while representing the
dark side.

JG

[MRGALT2U]

Originally Posted by lets-retire

The only time the SLK starts acting up is when I told not to do my job.* Since I'm a police officer it really irks me when I'm told not to do it, because some dum sgt hasn't read the book for so long he still thinks it is acceptable to beat- up the bad guys.* That's abig reason why I got out of the military and one of the reasons I'm looking ot get out of this job as soon as possible.

Oh and when told not to do my job or violate someone's right I typpically start acting like a SLK (i.e. you tell me not to write a ticket for speeding and I just quit writing all tickets.)

It's "not acceptable to beat up the bad guys"?? When did they make that rule?

JG

[azanon]

And you are doing a fine job. I will continue for a while representing the
dark side.

I thought conservative, right-wingers were mostly do-gooders. The dark side is me, JG.

[lets-retire]

JG--I don't remember the exact date but it was recently. Something like last summer.